TUEKEY. 



687 



the viceregal privileges, as regards the main- 

 tenance of land and sea forces, must be kept 

 within the limits prescribed by the successive 

 firmans granted by the Sultan to Ismail Pacha 

 and his family. Among the stipulations of the 

 Grand- Vizier's letter to the Viceroy, is one 

 that his Highness shall not contract any further 

 loan in Europe without the sanction of the 

 Imperial Government. 



The Empress Eugenie arrived, on her way to 

 the Suez Canal, at Constantinople, on October 

 13th. The imperial yacht Aigle, preceded by 

 the Sultan's yacht, and attended by English, 

 French, Italian, and Russian dispatch-boats, 

 conveying the ambassadors, and Turkish iron- 

 clad squadron, under the command of Ibrahim 

 Pacha, following in the rear, rounded the Se- 

 raglio Point into the Bosporus, and proceeded 

 to the Palace of Beglerbey, situated on the 

 Asiatic shore, where the Empress stayed. The 

 Sultan waited there to receive his imperial 

 guest. Salutes were fired from the forts and 

 from the men-of-war, and all ships in the har- 

 bor were gayly decorated. On the arrival of 

 the Empress in the Bosporus, the girls from 

 the Catholic schools of Constantinople, who 

 were on board a French steamer, sang a hymn 

 of welcome, and the Empress warmly bowed 

 her acknowledgments. On landing, the Sultan 

 gave his arm to the Empress and escorted her 

 up the avenue to the palace, while royal salutes 

 from the Asiatic and European sides of the 

 Bosporus were fired. The yards of the squad- 

 ron were manned. The Sultan then returned 

 to the Palace of Dalmagachtiche, and a general 

 holiday was held. After sunset the vessels at 

 the Golden Horn and in the Bosporus, and 

 the minarets of the mosques, were lighted up, 

 and a general illumination took place, and fire- 

 works were displayed from the Sea of Marmora 

 to the Black Sea. 



A like imperial reception was given to the 

 Crown-Prince of Prussia, on October 24th. 

 Prince Asmodeus, of Italy, also arrived at Con- 

 stantinople, as also the Emperor of Austria, in 

 whose honor a grand parade was held. 



As soon as the grand festivals of November 

 17, on the occasion of the opening of the Suez 

 Canal, were fairly over, the Sultan resumed 

 his quarrel with the Viceroy of Egypt by send- 

 ing him the following firman (the great 

 powers having given up the idea of an inter- 

 vention in the Egyptian question) : 



It is superfluous to say how great is my solicitude 

 for the prosperity of the important province of 

 Egypt, and for the increase of the well-being and 

 security of its inhabitants. While I devote serious 

 attention to maintaining intact the interior privi- 

 leges accorded to the Egyptian administration, my 

 duty requires me at the same time to watch over the 

 strict accomplishment of the obligations undertaken, 

 either toward my crown or toward the people of that 

 country. In consequence, I have accepted the ex- 

 planations which you have furnished, and the engager 

 ments you have taken relative to arms and war- 

 vessels, as well as with regard to the foreign relations 

 of the province by your letter dated the lOthDjemazi- 

 el-evvel, 1286, in answer to one which my Grand- 



Vizier had sent you by my sovereign order on tho 

 18th ReDuil-Akhir, of the same year. 



Only, the question of finances being a vital one for 

 every country, if the amount of the taxes is beyond 

 the means of those called onto pay them, or if tho 

 produce ol these imposts, instead of being applied to 

 the real necessities of the state, are absorbed by 

 profitless expenditure, the risk is indubitably in- 

 curred of losses and incalculable dangers. The result 

 is that the sovereign has the sacred and imprescrip- 

 tible right to watch over that important object with 

 solicitude ; and, in order that no doubt or misunder- 

 standing should any longer exist in this regard, I 

 have decided to give you the following instructions, 

 which shall likewise be brought to the knowledge of 

 all the Egyptians : 



Thus, according to the fundamental conditions 

 which serve as the base of the present administra- 

 tion of Egyptj all taxes and duties should be assessed 

 and gathered in my name. I cannot, therefore, con- 

 sent in any way that the sums proceeding from these 

 imposts should be employed otherwise than in meet- 

 ing the real wants of the country, nor that its in- 

 habitants should be charged with fresh burdens 

 without legitimate and recognized necessity. My 

 absolute will, therefore, is that your incessant caro 

 and zeal may be directed toward these two impor- 

 tant objects, as also to the necessity that my Egyptian 

 subjects be treated always with justice and equity. 

 In like manner foreign loans engaging for many 

 years the revenues of the province I cannot allow, 

 unless all the reasons requiring to have recourse to 

 them should have been laid in detail before my Gov- 

 ernment, and unless my authority should have been 

 obtained beforehand.lest the sums previously raised 

 on the resources of Egypt might be injuriously af- 

 fected by resorting to fresh obligations. 



My will is, therefore, that at no time can a loan be 

 negotiated until after the absolute necessity of it has 

 been well established and my authorization obtained. 

 You will henceforth^ conform your acts and conduct 

 to the terms of this imperial firman, which is entirely 

 in accordance with respective rights and duties as 

 well as with precedents. 



"While the language of tbis imperial message 

 was firm, and admitted of no discussion regard- 

 ing the army, navy, and the foreign loans, it 

 was worded in a manner which allowed the 

 Viceroy to accept the orders sent him without 

 appearing to be forced to it by extraordinary 

 pressure on the part of the Porte. But the 

 Khedive did not abandon his iron-clad fleet, 

 nor answer the communication of the Sultan. 

 The Porte, therefore, forwarded a violent mes- 

 sage to the Viceroy at the end of the year re- 

 garding the fleet. 



As to its home administration, the Turkish 

 Government has begun to show an energy and 

 activity which have hitherto been very un- 

 usual among Turkish functionaries. Strict 

 instructions have been issued to the local 

 authorities to suppress all attempts at revo- 

 lutionary agitation, and in some districts these 

 instructions have been carried out with ex- 

 treme severity. At Toultcha, in Bulgaria, the 

 police, having found a small quantity of gun- 

 powder in a shop, arrested the proprietors, 

 two young men twenty years of age, for con- 

 spiracy. They were condemned to four years' 

 hard labor, and, though the French consul 

 warmly interceded in their behalf, the sentence 

 was confirmed by the governor. Shortly after 

 one of the young men became ill, and died in 



